Repress coming end of April!

Japanese artists Yumiko Morioka and Takashi Kokubo unite for Gaiaphilia, a journey through ambient soundscapes that seamlessly blends Morioka’s graceful piano compositions with Kokubo’s immersive field recordings and atmospheric synthesisers.

This collaboration brings together two of Japan’s most influential pioneers in ambient and new age music, each with decades of groundbreaking work. Morioka, celebrated for her 1987 album Resonance—reissued to critical acclaim by Métron Records—infuses her introspective playing with Kokubo’s vivid environmental textures, creating a dialogue between nature and melody.

After releasing Resonance, Morioka stepped away from music, moving to America to raise her family. For years, her work was quietly cherished by fans, only gaining wider recognition with its reissue in 2020. A devastating wildfire destroyed her California home seven years ago, prompting her return to Tokyo where she became a chocolatier before rediscovering her passion for the piano in recent years, playing live shows and making new recordings.

Takashi Kokubo’s legendary discography spans over 30 years, and has found wider acclaim in recent years via YouTube algorithms and bootleg uploads, wracking up tens of millions of plays. Yet he is probably best known for his sound design work, specifically the Japanese earthquake alert sound as well as credit card payment jingles - his creations are pervasive in Japanese society.

“From our love and concern for our planet, we both offer a unique sensibility and spirit of inquiry which we express through our music.”

Rooted in shared philosophical interests, Gaiaphilia reflects a profound reverence for nature’s resilience and harmony. Themes of Gaia, Mother Earth’s renewal, and the interconnectedness of life are central, with inspirations drawn from cosmology, sacred geometry, and Japan’s mystical Katakamuna tradition. The album invites listeners into a meditative space where sound mirrors the delicate balance of the natural world.

A master of sound design, Kokubo enhances this vision with his distinctive field recordings, captured using a self-made binaural microphone shaped like a crash test dummy’s head. From the jungles of Borneo to the gentle rhythm of ocean waves, Kokubo’s globe-spanning recordings transform into immersive soundscapes that perfectly complement Morioka’s introspective piano compositions.

“The title, Gaiaphilia, is a newly created word to encompass our love and respect for nature and life, this feeling is the theme we hoped to express.”

Released on Métron Records on 12/03/25 and with artwork from Ventral Is Golden, Gaiaphilia marks a remarkable new chapter for Morioka and Kokubo. Recorded at Kokubo’s log house studio named Studio Ion in Yamanashi, their collaboration offers listeners a deeply emotional and transcendent experience, rooted in the timeless beauty of Japan’s natural landscapes.

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Repress!

Pacific Rhythm is elated to present a grounding offering from Oakland's Space Ghost entitled Private Paradise as our first release of 2022. The LP is an ode to Space Ghost's time spent at Sea Ranch on the Northern California coast, a place he and his partner visit to refresh their spirit and regain optimism and enthusiasm for the outside world.

Private Paradise possesses a rare ability to restore, rejuvenate, and inspire through each listen and is something we've only grown more and more fond of during the unforeseen complications we encountered during its release over the past two years. It's a piece of music that feels like a perfect nod to where we've been musically for the past 8 years and where we see ourselves heading in the future. Deep, contemplative, and uplifting audio that compels its listeners to focus on the positive forces in the world and the power of being present in a moment.

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Germany
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Tracklisting
A1 Mr. G - Dust in the system : Tokyo dub plate
B1 Mr. G - Let's Do it...
B2 Mr. G - Find love (Ambient Space Tek)

Sales Note
New year new vibes from me, after the success of my greenhouse session for RA in ambient mode it's time to get back to the floor via 3 rollers

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Recorded at the Philharmonie de Paris and one and a half years after releasing his magnum opus "Music For Animals"—described by PopMatters as “a musical waterfall of monumental proportions”—Nils Frahm shares a new live album, due for release by his LEITER label on December 6. In what’s becoming a tradition, it follows 2013’s "Spaces", a Pitchfork Album of the Year taped at shows over the preceding 18 months, and 2020’s "Tripping With Nils Frahm", also released as a film. "Paris", nonetheless, is Frahm’s first live album from a single night, March 21, 2024, and contains ten tracks over a running time of 84 minutes.

Frahm’s performances have always been known for expanding upon his studio recordings, and "Paris" is no exception. Drawing on his substantial catalogue, the German composer and producer reworks tracks from various albums, and also adds the brand new, luxurious and strangely gripping ‘Opera’ to the track list.

If he leaves the stage to the same uproarious jubilation with which he was initially greeted, "Paris" makes it clear why he’s been so in demand. He’s been booked, frequently for multiple nights, at halls around the world, including Sydney’s Opera House, London’s Barbican and LA’s Orpheum Theatre. Indeed, the LA Times wrote, “Watching him at work, and hearing the audience react, is a little like watching an athlete at the top of his game.” Expect nothing less from Nils Frahm on "Paris", a vital document of this ingenious, gifted musician’s endless pursuit of fresh perspectives.

All tracks written, produced and mixed by Nils Frahm.
Mastered by Zino Mikorey, recorded by Terence Goodchild.
Vinyl cut by Andreas Kauffelt at Schnittstelle.

All tracks published by Manners McDade Music Publishing Ltd.
Cover artwork and design by Studio Torsten Posselt.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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Tracklisting
A1 Luigi Tozzi - Sentient
A2 Luigi Tozzi - Amphibia
B1 Luigi Tozzi - Uterus
B2 Luigi Tozzi - Reptilian

Sales Note
Released under the January full moon, 2025.

Early support from Abstract Division, Albert van Abbe, Brando Lupi, Iori, Lewis Fautzi, Samuli Kemppi, Svreca, Takaaki Itoh, Tommy Four Seven, Atomic Moog, Blazej Malinowski, Cassegrain, D-Leria, Forest on Stasys, Joachim Spieth, Ness and Yuka.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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Tracklisting
A1 CRYME - Hold On (Cinthie remix)
A2 CRYME - Hold On (Obscure Shape remix)
B1 CRYME - Hold On (Lydia Eisenblätter remix)
B2 CRYME - Hold On (Volpe remix)

Sales Note
The EP opens with CRYMEs original mix of HOLD ON, a track driven by a weighty low-end, saturated rhythms, and hypnotic vocals. Cinthie's remix brings her soulful house touch, layering choppy stabs, airy strings, and a bouncy bass hook. Obscure Shape then takes the track into techno territory with a robust drum workout and dubbed-out fragments of the original keys and vocals.
On the flip side, Lydia Eisenblatters remix highlights crisp breaks, gritty rave stabs, and pulsing subs. Volpe closes out the release with an ethereal dub techno rework, featuring spiralling echoes, a groovy bassline, and heavily shuffled percussion.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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Tracklisting
A1 Fabrizio Lapiana - Deep 4
B1 Fabrizio Lapiana - Ritmo Ossessivo
B2 Fabrizio Lapiana - Repetition

Sales Note
Label owner Fabrizio Lapiana returns on Attic Music with "Ritmo Ossessivo", a three tracks techno EP that showcases again his mesmerising sound.

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WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
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DE - 22113 Hamburg
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